Howard Devoto flips another page in Magazine's history with November 2011 album and tour

Magazine

In 1977, while punk, anarchy and unrest was raging in the schools, the town centres and the news, one man declared his boredom (to paraphrase a track by his first band, Buzzcocks) with the two-chord, 1-2-3-4 pogo-a-go-go attitude and moved on with a new project - Magazine.

Devoto and the band stuck out like a sore thumb in a landscape of denim, leather and spittle, opting to write lavish lyrics and extravagant anti-rock music that still tasted of energy, but not of overblown egos and maverick managers. They got on Top of the Pops with the 1978 anthem, "Shot by Both Sides", before seeing the record slip down the charts the following week - it's a killer when that happens. The parent-album, "Real Life", also sold well and set the tone for three more excellent studio albums (and one so-so live album), before the band spluttered to a halt in 1981.

So why, 30 years on, does anyone give a damn about this perennially-revered and quoted band? Simple - their unexpected sell-out reunion shows in 2009 drew every critic worth his weight in sea-salt, out of the woodwork to proclaim how great they were, how important their music is and how they've influenced current artists like Editors, Interpol and most guitar bands with a scowl.

Also, 30 years after their 'final' album, "Magic, Murder and the Weather", they've finished making the follow-up - better late than never. "No Thyself" is out in November, probably through their own Wire-Sound imprint and probably (surely) bursting with more Magazine anthems. To hear these new songs, you'll have to see them live on tour, also in November.

Bath is the first stop on 1st November, followed by Cambridge, Hatfield, Manchester and more until Shepherd's Bush on the 10th. We will have tickets on sale from Friday at 9am, priced at £22.50 (or £25 for London). You can bet your behind that these will be in high demand due to their huge fan-base.